The Germany economy grew faster than expected at the start of the year in a boost to the eurozone's traditional powerhouse which has faced a long slowdown, official data showed Wednesday.

Gross domestic product (GDP) in Europe's biggest economy expanded 0.2 percent in the first quarter compared to the previous quarter, according to provisional figures from federal statistics agency Destatis. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had forecast an expansion of 0.1 percent.